A BELL pealed to mark a new chapter for a 108-year-old village hall saved from the bulldozer by the people of Fryerning.

Lord Petre was on hand to join MP Eric Pickles and around 80 guests from the Fryerning Parish Rooms Association (FPRA), Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Association and the parish to mark the venue's reopening.

The ceremony, which took place inside the refurbished hall because of torrential rain, boasts a new kitchen, boiler system, toilets, resurfaced car park and main hall flooring, paid for from £18,000 raised by parishioners.

FPRA chairman Keith Brown, was delighted the see the hall re-open. In early 2011 the facility faced permanent closure having been blacklisted by health and safety officials.

Mr Brown said: "The extensive refurbishment will ensure that the hall continues to serve the community for years.

"We are immensely grateful to so many local residents who have responded to our appeal, as well as those who have given a lot of time.

"We would not be here today without that support.

"This could not have happened without the approval of the Trustees of Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Association.

"This has been a joint venture between them as owners and FPRA as managers. We are both committed to ensure the success of this project."

Lilian Hunter, chairman of Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Association (IFCA), which owns the hall, added: "I am very pleased that the two organisations (FPR and IFCA) have worked together to reopen Fryerning Parish Room and wish everyone best wishes in making good use of this valuable community asset."

Mr Brown announced FPRA has already taken a number of bookings from groups wishing to book the hall, some of whom are returning having used the hall previously."

The hall was officially re-opened on December 1.

To make a booking call the IFCA office on 01277 352064.

The husband of the mayor of Brentwood Anne Coe has revealed he is to close his Twitter account after claiming someone had posted messages from it without his permission.

Paul Barrell, who tweets as @sadcopper, wrote at 4.03pm on December 13: "Sadly some unknown person or persons have been using my account to post twitters I have not agreed to.

"This acc will be closed."

It is not clear how many tweets were posted without the consent of Mr Barrell, an ex-policeman of Weald Road, South Weald.

A series of tweets had been issued from his account on Tuesday evening, in the wake of a meeting of Brentwood Borough Council's overview and scrutiny committee – a meeting at which the decision of the council's asset, infrastructure and localism panel to award grants totalling £54,745 to 25 of the borough's community groups was called in.

The call-in was requested by three Tory councillors, namely Will Russell, Roger McCheyne and Mrs Coe, although at the meeting all three of them voted in favour of a motion that the committee should do nothing and take the matter no further.

After the meeting, Councillor Russell Quirk, the chairman of the asset, infrastructure and localism panel, tweeted:  "Tonight's O & S proceedings so spurious that even the three cllrs that started the process voted against their own motion to revise revision."

A resident, Ann Cardus, replied, saying: "Mad as badgers, the lot of 'em."

After seeing these tweets, a message was issued from Mr Barrell's account, which read:  "I don't know who you are but it is important we hold all our councillors to account you are clearly stupid."

Cllr Quirk tweeted back: "Paul. Not the sort of comment people expect from the Mayor's consort.

"You should apologise to Ann Cardus."

No reply was forthcoming.

In a reference to Mr Quirk, a separate tweet from Mr Barrell's account said: "All the chairs charities and his cronies got money!"

The Gazette has attempted to contact both Mr Barrell and his wife although neither of them has yet responded.

It is unclear if the matter has been reported to Essex Police.

A spokesman said: "I am not in a position to confirm whether someone has made a complaint or not."

WIDE eyes, big smiles and happy chatter filled a party pavilion at North Weald when more than 600 children with special needs enjoyed a festive celebration.

Clowns, zoo animals, face painters, and sporting celebrities including former boxer Frank Bruno and Paralympian Dan Bentley, plus Father Christmas himself, mingled with the youngsters from special schools across Essex and east Hertfordshire.

This was the 27th annual Children's Sporting Lunch run by the Presidents Sporting Club / Essex Disabled Sports Foundation.

Not only are the youngsters invited to have a good time and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner, disco and cabaret, but they also have their achievements celebrated.

Chairman Mike Parker said: "The highlight of the event is the award ceremony which recognises endeavour rather than elitism in sport.

"We give awards to youngsters who may have learnt how to swim two or three strokes, been chosen to represent their school in football or taken part in an outward bound type course."

One special guest was Essex-based Paralympian Dan Bentley, who was wearing his bronze medal from London 2012, where he was part of the boccia team, a sport similar to bowls or petanque.

He said: "This is brilliant.

"It's great to see the children having such a fantastic time, and being rewarded for trying hard in sport."

Frank Bruno, the former world heavyweight boxing champion and erstwhile Brentwood resident, is president of the charity and attends the lunch every year.

He said: "I have been involved for 26 years now, and am very proud to be president – it is a quality charity.

"The children here today are fantastic, an inspiration to us all."

A party of 10 children from the Castledon School in Wickford were having a great time, tucking into their roast lunch.

Pupil Crystal Joy, seven, gave the day a big thumbs-up. She said: "I love it."

"I really liked meeting the clowns and the animals."

Senior teaching assistant Sara Grosvenor-Rigby added: "It's absolutely brilliant.

"They're all really enjoying themselves."

Her views were echoed by Yvonne Goouge, acting head teacher of Ramsden Hall School in Billericay.

She said: "It's a fabulous event.

"We come every year and the boys really enjoy it."

Pupil Joe Ferris received an award on the day for at the age of 11 being chosen as part of the school football team.

He said: "I'm gobsmacked!"

With his face painted in red and black stripes Matthew Priestman, 11, sits down with his classmates from the Endeavour School at their table and prepares to receive his roast chicken lunch.

"It's just really good," he said.

"I like the clowns and the animals – I got to stroke an owl. It was so soft."

Cameron's classmates from the Endeavour were also having a great time.

Wearing Santa face paint and shiny hats, Harry Brown and Rhys Caffrey, both aged 10, agreed that the clowns were the highlight of the show, but they were also looking forward to the after-lunch cabaret and visit by Father Christmas who was handing out early gifts.

Harry said: "It's really good here; there are lots of activities going on.

"I'm having a really great time."

Rhys said: "I came last year so knew what it would be like.

"It's really good. I like the dinner too and you can get popcorn."

Next to them was the school's award winner of the afternoon, Cameron Connolly, 10.

Proudly sporting a tiger-painted face, Cameron said he was excited about walking up to the front of the venue to collect his trophy from Frank Bruno.

He told the Gazette: "I can take it home to show my mum.

"She will be proud."

Janet Jolly, learning support assistant at the Hogarth Avenue school, said: "Cameron was nominated because he has made tremendous progress over the past few months.

"He has become much more confident, happy to have a go at everything and can now work independently as well as with others."

She added: "This event is marvellous.

"We come every year and our children absolutely love it. They think about everything.

"It's just perfect for our children."

A DOZEN charitable women quaffed Champagne as they bared all to raise cash for Cancer Research UK in a saucy photo shoot.

Inspired by the 2003 movie Calendar Girls, the women from Gidea Park-based Sweet Charity got their kit off for a new calendar which goes on sale on Friday.

The group has raised more than £150,000 for Cancer Research in the last eight years.

For mum-of-three Dawn Jacques, 51 – or, if you prefer, Mrs November – the experience of posing naked for a camera was "completely liberating".

She said: "It was a really lovely feeling. We were all women together who stretched their boundaries.

"It was real girl power and hopefully makes a difference, it's helping us and helping others.

"The women came along, we got them at ease by giving them Champagne – 19 bottles of it – and they had their hair, make-up and not a lot else."

Themes used across the months include "back to school" in September and others feature strategically placed balloons and hats.

In 2000, Dawn lost her sister to breast cancer at the age of 48, leaving behind three children.

Her friend, Denise Cutbill, 51, lost her auntie to cancer and her neighbour, Clare George, 43, lost her father to the disease on her wedding day.

The women decided to transform their grief into positive energy and Sweet Charity was born.

Their first event, a winter ball, has since become an annual sell-out event, and it was at this year's soirée that the trio decided to auction off nine places in the calendar – each representing a month – to their female guests, with the hosts occupying the other three spots.

"There were younger women that wanted to do it but we kept it for the older women this time," Dawn said.

She added: "You had women from all walks of life: a retired businesswoman, a couple who work in schools, women in high-powered jobs in banks, housewives and an accountant.

"None of them had ever done anything like this before in their lives, it was a real journey for them, it was fantastic."

Last year, Dawn, Denise and Clare received service awards from Professor Carlos Caldas, the director of Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital, for their fundraisers, which have also included golf days, quizzes and fancy-dress events.

Dawn said: "Professor Caldas told us the work he is doing now is so exciting that he cannot sleep at night, and it kind of really makes you think you have got to keep going."

To purchase a calendar, e-mail sweet.charity@mail.com

BRENTWOOD Town visit an unpredictable Heybridge Swifts team today with manager Steve Witherspoon expecting anything but an early Christmas present from their Essex rivals.

Last Saturday The Blues thrashed Soham Town Rangers 6-3, a team that beat Swifts the previous Saturday 8-2.

But Witherspoon is refusing to look too much into those results, especially as Swifts bounced back last Saturday with a 6-0 win against Ilford and are currently fourth in the division.

"I think that was a one off," he said on Swifts results against Soham.

"If you saw the firepower of Soham you can see that if Swifts weren't quite on it, how they can put a few goals on you.

"I wouldn't see anything in that result to make me think anything other than Heybridge Swifts will be a tough nut to crack, they're in the top four.

"It's a lovely surface down there and we go down feeling confident. If we nick a win then lovely."

Saturday's thumping win moved Town up to 14th in the league with several games in hand on their rivals.

And Witherspoon lists it as one of his team's best performances of the season so far, especially pleasing as he changed from a traditional 4-4-2 to a diamond shape in midfield.

"It was a fantastic performance and we kept the ball really well," he said.

"It was a young side and we were full of energy. It was one of our best performances of the season for sure.

"I made some big calls and we left some people out and I suppose that's my job to make those calls. It worked out really well – it was a great advert for non-league football."

The manager reserved special praise for striker Alex Read who helped himself to four goals at the weekend to keep up his fine form.

"He's on fire," he said. "I've whinged in the past that we haven't had a goalscorer and now we have.

"It's a pleasing set-up to be around at the moment."

Town have only lost one of their last ten games in all competitions but the cold snap left them without a game for more than two weeks and Witherspoon admits the lack of fitness was a concern and meant he utilised some of the younger players in his squad.

"It's alright having nearly four or five days but once you start getting past seven or eight days then you start losing fitness and all sorts of cardio," he said.

"Everyone came in when it was raining and worked hard but I was concerned, that's another reason why I went for the younger boys. I thought they'd have the legs."

A YOUNG boy who fought off a potentially fatal illness earlier this year is hoping a generous reader will make his Christmas more comfortable.

Harrison Major, seven, was left struggling to walk after contracting meningococcal septicaemia, which led to sclerosis of the hips earlier this year.

The youngster, who has Down's syndrome, now relies on the use of a wheelchair to travel any distance as he has severe pain in his hips.

After discovering he could be on the NHS waiting list for a year to get measured for a suitable wheelchair, his family decided to make do in the interim with an adult chair.

Mum Vicky, of Broomwood Gardens, Pilgrims Hatch, said: "Harrison finds it increasingly difficult to walk, which is why he has to use the chair.

"But because it doesn't fit him and has no leg supports, it is actually causing him unnecessary discomfort as his legs dangle and put strain on his hips.

"Whenever we go out, people stare as the chair is too big for him so it's making me not want to take him out.

"He doesn't deserve to be looked at like that."

Family friend Alison Tahmasebi, of Sandringham Road, Pilgrims Hatch, is appealing to Gazette readers to step in and help the Major family.

She said: "We nearly lost Harrison at the start of this year; it was a nasty experience.

"He recovered from that, but this pain in his legs and hips started a month ago and now he's struggling to walk.

"He's a lovely little chap who goes to mainstream school and just gets on with life, despite the pain he's in.

"We would be so grateful if someone could pay the £400 for a child-size chair which would properly support Harrison and make him more comfortable.

"That's a lot of money we haven't got.

"It would make such a difference to the family's lives as they could go out more with Harrison."

If you would like to help Harrison, call the Gazette on 01245 602731.

A PARAPLEGIC grandfather has been given a wheelchair that will change his life thanks to a charity that raised thousands of pounds for him.

Steve Collins, 42, from Chelmer Village suffered bad spinal injuries when he fell down the stairs in an accident.

He said: "The fall broke the bones in my neck, so that left me paralysed from the chest down."

Since his accident five years ago, Steve, who used to be a manager for the mental health charity Rethink, has relied on his partner, Vanessa and healthcare professionals to help him cope with day-to-day life.

But with the help of the Heart of Darts charity, who raised an astonishing £17,000 for him, Steve now has a state-of-the-art wheelchair that has changed his life.

"It's brilliant. It's just having the comfort and because it can change into different positions I can even lay down in the chair," said the grandfather-of-two. "If I need to lay down I can sleep in the chair without having to be hoisted in and out of bed.

"It allows me also to raise myself up and be the same height as someone who is standing so if you're out with people who are all stood around you don't need to strain your neck looking up – and it's quicker so I can get from A to B in far less time than before. It's already made such a difference."

Steve can operate the wheelchair using a joy stick on an electronic pad that, despite not being able to feel his hand, he can move due to a splint he wears on his arm.

Vanessa Marshall, 44, went to the former Rainsford School with Steve and met him again three-and-a-half years ago when Steve's brother started seeing a friend of hers.

They have been together ever since and she is delighted with the new wheelchair.

"It's fantastic," said Vanessa. "He was up all day yesterday as an example – he just laid the chair back and didn't have to go to bed – and he can go out and about more by himself because in the other chair he was uncomfortable. He's more independent now.

"He's even going to the cinema on Saturday with a friend. He went from being a very active man who loved sports so it's still difficult for him to get to grips with.

"But this certainly helps."

Ian Waller, 70, who set up Heart of Darts 12 years ago with his wife Joan, said: "We want to help people who can't get help anywhere else. People like Steve, who desperately needed something to give him the quality of life. We were able to do that.

"We don't advertise and we don't get paid. We use our money wisely."

Heart of Darts, whose ambassador is world-renowned darts player Andy Forham, raises a vast amount of money with the help of the Essex County darts players and supporters.

And Steve was presented his new wheelchair at the Chelmsford Social Club last Sunday where the Essex County darts team were playing.

"It was brilliant," said Ian. "Steve said a few words and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

"The look on people's faces when you can actually change their lives. It gives me something to get out of bed for in the morning."

GAVIN Webb has certainly given his eardrums a good bashing in his 31 years behind a kit.

For the 42-year-old, pounding out a rhythm has been a way of life. He once played for a living and provided a beat for the likes of Essex band Dr Feelgood.

It was a chance internet reunion with his one-time drumming instructor, Martin Clapson, that led to the creation of Drum Box Studios, a drum school for anyone above the age of seven.

For the past decade he has been mentoring local bands and looking after their business affairs, but a life around sound has taken its toll and now about 35 per cent of his hearing is provided by a pair of £5,000 aids.

On average, drumming can generate between 100-130 decibels (without protection), which exceeds the 90 dB workplace limit set by EU regulations, above which protection must be worn.

His business partner, Mr Clapson, 49, from Billericay, has himself been a drummer for 40 years.

He has played with Take That, Suzi Quatro, Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, and even taught Robbie Williams how to hold the sticks.

At Drum Box, based off the A414 in Leys Farm, near Ongar, their mission is clear.

They want to offer first-rate drumming tuition and place a strong emphasis on hearing protection by providing advice and high-tech ear plugs to their pupils.

"People must be made aware of the damage that loud music can do to your ears and take steps to protect your ears," said Mr Webb, who lives in Blackmore.

"This will be included in part of our teaching programmes."

He added: "I was hard of hearing as a child so my hearing loss is not all due to playing drums. However, it is a fact that this has not helped as I never used hearing protection, likewise I know many musicians do not.

"My hearing prevented me from having a full career within the studio environment as an engineer, which is why I turned to business management, which still allows me to enjoy and be a part of the music industry."

Mr Webb also runs Catman Boogie, which develops and "takes care of business" for music acts, and has a recording studio next door to Drum Box.

The purpose-built Drum Box studio boasts a range of modern kits, including a three-quarter size set for children and technology for students to record lessons. They also provide drum tracks for musicians to use remotely.

For more information visit www.drumboxstudios.co.uk

A CHRISTIAN who got on his bike to beat the recession has donated the £1,000 savings he made to his church.

Roland Platt, 61, cycles 18 miles a day from his home in Headley Chase, Warley, to work in Dagenham and back.

When the recession took hold in 2008, the motorist decided he needed to tighten his belt and in this year alone he believes he has saved £1,000 by cycling 2,700 miles instead of filling his car with fuel.

But despite braving the elements to save the pennies, the regular at Brentwood's St Thomas Church felt his funds would be better spent keeping the congregation warm and dry.

Last month the Gazette reported how The Reverend Colin Hewitt had given the go-ahead to builders to begin roof repair works costing £50,000, despite the coffers being £14,000 short.

Mr Platt said: "I needed to make these savings two or three years ago when things were really tight for me financially.

"I continue to cycle in order to save on travel costs, to keep fit and because it is an eco-friendly way of travelling.

"I passed my cycling proficiency 50 years ago and have always enjoyed cycling. I now do more miles on the bike than in the car.

"This year, I thought I could afford to donate my savings to the church as the roof urgently needs repairing. If it is not repaired now, it is going to cost the church a lot more in the long run.

"I am pleased to be able to put this money towards the work. If anyone else has made savings like this, I would urge them to consider donating it to the church too."

Mr Hewitt described Mr Platt as a "great example".

He added: "We are very grateful to Roland and to others who have come up with ingenious ways of raising funds.

"He has not only been generous but he has also been green."

To donate to the church, call 01227 225700 or 01277 22616.

A UNIQUE art gallery has opened in Ongar High Street, showcasing the talents of a resident photographer and his "million dollar" artwork.

Roger Molloy's Do You Want To See One Million is a mundane and featureless grey slab from a distance.

But a closer look reveals the detail and the reason behind the name – one million tiny dollar signs produced on a four feet by six feet photographic print.

Roger, 37, who lives in Ongar and who has rented out a tiny space next to an estate agent, said: "I wanted to create something that was unique and cannot be copied.

"Do You Want To See One Million is a photograph that cannot be photographed.

"Only by getting up close to it can you see the detail behind it, one million dollar signs."

Roger, a photographic artist for over 15 years, draws inspiration from Ways Of Seeing by John Berger – a 1972 BBC four-part television series of 30-minute films which were adapted into a book of the same name.

Roger, who studied at the University of East London, has placed odds on himself at 10 to 1 with William Hill of winning a Turner Prize by age 50.

"A million has huge connotations for us," he said. "What I want to do is sell 1,000 copies for £1,000 dollars each. One million dollars."

The dollar symbol featured in his photograph came from a fake-diamond-studded necklace of an East Londoner.

Roger said: "My hope is that I get to sell some of my work to buyers in India, China and Brazil."

"I hope people regard my work as pieces worth collecting and to pass them down to their children and grandchildren."

Do You Want To See One Million is showing at the End Of The Line Gallery at 138 High Street.

THEY say good things come in small packages – and that's certainly the case for pint-sized Brentwood student Arathi Menon.

The 19-year-old, of Luppitt Close, Hutton Mount, saw off tough competition from models from across the Continent to claim the Face of Europe title at what was only her second beauty pageant.

The aspiring medic, who is studying at Imperial College, London, took part in the pageant at Disneyland Paris after being named Face of London.

She will now return to the competition next year as a judge as well as spending her year fundraising for charity.

Miss Menon said: "I entered this competition on a whim and never expected to get through the first stage.

"I'm only 5ft tall and have never taken part in this type of competition before.

"I was up against tall, blonde girls who have spent a lifetime doing these pageants and are so confident.

"While on stage, the judges asked what my ultimate goal in life is.

"I said I didn't restrict myself to one goal, instead I aim to simply be happy in whatever I do.

"I think my answer and the fact I am friendly and got on with everyone is why I was crowned the winner. I also think my dancing and drama helped me with the way I hold myself and hide my nerves and gave me an advantage."

The judges on the day included representatives from Disneyland and the Headway East Kent charity, former X Factor star Chico who represented the Rainbow Child Foundation, plus last year's winner.

Miss Menon's prize included a ball gown and tiara, plus a safari holiday in Africa.

She said: "It takes a lot to make me cry with happiness, but I cried on stage when I was announced as winner."

SOME of the world's biggest pop and movie stars captured in stunning shots by Maldon press photographer Bill Orchard are up for sale to help Farleigh Hospice.

The retired Fleet Street snapper is giving a percentage of all pictures sold from the exhibition held at the hospice in the grounds of Broomfield Hospital to the charity.

And the snap-happy 72-year-old is also raffling a unique 24x20 framed informal shot of the young Rolling Stones for £2 a go.

Bill, from Southminster, was inspired to do something for the charity after he lost his wife, Isabel to cancer some years ago.

He said: "Things were so much more informal in those days, no PR people or others wanting a cut from your pictures. No security guards."

The exhibition which runs from 8am-8pm until January 6, includes pictures of The Stones, currently celebrating 50 years of stardom, The Beatles, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Cliff Richard, Marc Bolan Liz Taylor and many more.

Bill added: "There was a tremendous buzz around musicians and London was swinging. It was a fantastic time, the likes of which I don't think we'll ever see again."

And it was while doing stills for the new top pop TV show Ready, Steady Go, when the Stones were just sitting around waiting for their slot that Bill managed to score his informal shots.

He casually offered them coffee in exchange for a couple of informal pictures in the cafe next to the studio.

Bill said: "The Rolling Stones were relatively new to the business, and they were just auditioning for the show.

"They were actually very excited about doing a television show and were very down to earth. I knew all the stars because they lived all around me in Marble Arch – what a time to be young and single."

In 1977 he went to Buckingham Palace to photograph the Queen for her Silver Jubilee. The photo took a day to set up but the actual shot session took less than five minutes.

"I was rummaging in my photo bag when I saw these rather regal shoes come into view and to my surprise it was Her Majesty," Bill said.

"I had been warned not to talk to her unless spoken to. So I bowed.

"She said, 'Now I want you to leave here with exactly the photographs you want so don't be afraid to ask us to move our heads or move around. We are only human after all'. I was astonished, but I got the photos I wanted."

Today Bill, says he couldn't keep up with the pace and energy of competing for top-people pics.

"But I am as busy as ever arranging exhibitions for charity." he added.

THIS team of top talkers ensured Chelmsford County High School for Girls gained a place in the UK finals of a law competition for the third year in a row.

The girls spent the day at Chelmsford Crown Court participating in the regional heats of the Bar Mock Trial contest, having been asked to prepare the 'defence' and 'prosecution' for two legal cases.

They competed with schools from across the eastern region, and after triumphing in both cases were told they were through to the national final.

Judge Charles Gratwicke, who presided over the final round, declared himself "speechless" at the quality of the teams and praised the "incredible raw talent" on display, speculating that a number of girls would find themselves in his position in the future.

Team member Alexandra Tarbun, 18, from Colchester, who is studying the International Baccalaureate at the school, said: "The Bar Mock Trial is really hard work, but enjoyable.

"The team pull together to support one another and the experience of working in a court environment is invaluable for my future career plan."

Sophie Broddle, 16, from Chelmsford, said: "This event has given me a clear insight into the working environment of a court.

"I have learnt how to present myself in a professional manner in an extremely pressurised situation. I really enjoyed the experience."

The first case the girls had to argue involved an Olympic cyclist accused of possessing performance-enhancing drugs, while the second concerned the alleged possession of an illegal firearm.

The national finals will take place in March 2013, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

The Bar Mock Trial team are: Eloise Davies, Jess Moxom, Shana Gujral, Alice Abiola, Sophie Botten, Tasnim Ismail, Amaka Ananti, Ali Tarbun, Maddie Deasy, Sophie Broddle, Bethany Jackson, Vanessa Odunsi, Charlotte Tunstall-Price, Georgia Collins and Sarah Corsham.

WHEN concerned friends asked Deborah Shipperlee how she was feeling as she battled cancer, she decided there was only one way to tell them.

The 55-year-old, of Shenfield, decided to put pen to paper in a series of poems.

The Cancer Candy Store, a book documenting the mother of three's fight, is now being sold to raise money for the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity as well as providing a support to other patients.

Ms Shipperlee said: "When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, a really good friend of mine drove three hours to be by my side at 3am.

"As she lived so far away, she told me to write down every thought and feeling so she could understand and support me. I found the easiest and quickest way to record my thoughts was in rhyme."

A chance meeting on the golf course with another cancer patient and a publisher inspired Ms Shipperlee to turn her writing into a fundraising tool.

Since being published two months ago, the book has also been in great demand from fellow patients.

Ms Shipperlee, who now lives in County Wicklow, Ireland, said: "It was quite difficult for me to let other people read what I'd written at first as it was my innermost thoughts and feelings.

"But it was one of the best healing tools for me and it's wonderful to hear other people are reading it and gaining some support from it. Some have told me this isn't just my journey, but theirs, too.

"There's so much that nobody tells you about cancer, like what the machinery looks like and about the aches and pains you suffer. I was very keen to use photos in my book to show these things so people are not so frightened of the unknown.

"You may find friends avoid you as they simply do not know what to say to you. After reading the book, they have a better understanding of what you're going through and feel able to talk to you.

"I didn't expect the book to have such an impact on so many people."

The book costs £8 from The Hair Company in Crown Street, or the Helen Rollason Centre in Lawn Lane, Chelmsford.

Four Conservative councillors are free to vote against the leadership - after resigning the party whip.

Russell Quirk, William Lloyd, Nigel Clarke and Phil Baker remain as councillors but have in effect become free agents with the power to vote however way they wish.

They blame their decision on council leader Louise McKinlay who they say is seen to regularly "lurch from error to error" and has no grip on the day to day running of the administration.

Her policy approach has been described as "haphazard".

They say this is being reflected in local election results, most recently in the safe Tory ward of Shenfield where the Lib Dems have won two seats in the past year.

Since taking over as leader in 2009, Mrs McKinlay has overseen the loss of eight Tory seats with the party majority reduced from 21 to five.

Just three more defections would mean a overall loss of control for the Conservatives in the town hall.

TRAMPOLINING teen Josh Newman has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Australia Youth Olympic Festival.

The Brentwood Trampoline Club member, 13, will compete in Sydney next January against the finest 12-16 year olds the world has to offer.

Josh, who attends The Billericay School, smashed the qualification criteria after scoring in excess of 93.035 out of 100 in three tournaments around Europe.

The Noak Bridge resident is one of only two boys from GB to earn a spot. "I cannot wait to go," he said, "it's going to be the best experience ever.

"The event wasn't something I was particularly aiming for as it was only announced mid-season.

"We didn't think I stood a chance of making it anyway but when I started hitting those scores it came as a shock."

He will compete in both the individual and synchronised events. In the individual he will be marked by five judges on difficulty, execution and time of flight, for the latter a laser is placed under the trampoline to measure the athletes' time spent hanging in the air.

Josh says his development is down to five days' a week hard training and the excellent of the coaching.

He knows though that stepping up to international level is going to be a step up.

"It's going to be tough because I'll be up against the Chinese and the Japanese. There's also a really good boy from New Zealand."

The news comes just two weeks after he won gold in the Under 15 boys category at the GB versus Germany youth match in Poole, Dorset. Fellow Brentwood Trampoline club member Susanna Badley, 14, made her GB debut after a late call-up to the squad.

The duo are the club's sixth and seventh from the club to receive international honours. But although the club boasts in excess of 100 regular members coach Dave Kingaby says they're actually much smaller than their rivals.

He added: "Trampolining can give people huge benefits. It's a very low impact sport, you're not running on a hard surface so there's less damage to your joints. It's very good aerobic exercise, it's good for your cardio vascular system and lympatic system."

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and for many families that means yet another huge strain on their already tight finances.

The year has been a tough one with job losses, benefits cuts and a struggling housing market putting many under pressure.

At Christmas time, we all pull out the stops to fill our homes with the gifts and food expected at this time of year. But how easy was it to produce an elaborate feast for our loved ones in years gone by?

Looking back through an edition of the Gazette in December 1982, it's a shock to see very few items for the festive meal are over £1 and stores aren't afraid to share their affordable prices.

That's in stark contrast to today's adverts, with "win ten top toys for Christmas" in among the "cash paid for old gold" screamers giving a very real taste of the world we're living in.

Any food stores daring to share their prices in print back them up with offers of "free veg" or "buy one get one free".

A half-page advert from Budgens, in Ingatestone and Doddinghurst, today tells of its 1.75kg British chicken slashed from £6.99 to £4.50. Back in 1982, Asda was offering an oven-ready frozen turkey for 59.5p per pound.

Going even further back to 1932, when posties earned just £2 a week, geese were for sale for the equivalent of 20p, fat hens 12.5p and newly laid eggs 11p for a dozen.

Hepburns family butchers was opened in Shenfield and Mountnessing in 1932 by George and Ethel Hepburn.

Three generations later and the long-held traditions of providing "real food" without unnatural growth promoters are still followed.

But today, customers can place their orders online for meats including beef and poultry as well as convenient pies and ready meals to suit today's hectic lifestyles.

Duncan Hepburn, George and Ethel's grandson, said today's families want more convenience and time-saving products so they can spend more time with their families.

He said: "Back in the 1930s, when we opened, the husband tended to be the bread-winner while the wife spent a lot of time peeling potatoes and carrots by hand, preparing the Christmas meal.

"Nowadays, both parties tend to go to work so I would imagine the wife is less keen to spend all day peeling spuds. Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver have also inspired more men to take an interest in cooking the Christmas meal.

"Christmas is about spending quality time with our loved ones and so many people are looking for convenience now; they want pre-prepared or simpler products which make the process easier. Our boneless turkeys are far more popular as they are quicker to cook and easier to carve."

With the ultimate convenience being to shop online, Hepburns made the decision to join the major supermarkets in offering this service.

Mr Hepburn said: "With our bespoke products, our customers do tend to want to come in and shop personally. But we have to offer the online facility as everyone is using these apps and shopping from their sofas. If you don't compete, you go into oblivion. This keeps us in the market place."

The shop has managed to hold its prices for three years, responding to the struggle its customers may be facing financially.

Family-run Calcott Hall Farm opened in Ongar Road, Brentwood, in 1974, expanding into a renovated barn in 1983 as demands grew for its wide range of fruits and vegetables. More changes came about in 2009 when they added a butcher counter to the farm shop.

Director Peter McTurk, who runs the farm with his parents and brother, said although the business continues to expand and move with the times, they work hard to keep the traditional personal shopping experience alive.

He said: "Each time we have expanded and diversified, it has been in response to customers wanting to buy more and more products locally.

"While house prices have leapt about 20-fold since the 1970s, our prices have only doubled. In 1976, carrots were 12p per pound. Today they are 32p per pound.

"We are looking at the potential of an online shop, but we pride ourselves on offering a pleasant shopping experience. Food shopping at the supermarket can be a chore, but here our customers enjoy seeing our butcher doing his trade. They can discuss their requirements and have their meat – or cheese – prepared exactly how they need it. That's how it was before supermarkets came to the fore; until then it was individual shop counters and shopkeepers knew their customers by name.

"Supermarkets do a brilliant job, but nipping in and out to do a quick shop isn't what you always want."

THE newest member of Brentwood Borough Council has pledged to do everything she can to improve the lives of people living in Shenfield.

Liz Cohen, a 41-year-old campaigner from Worrin Road, said she was thrilled to have been chosen to join fellow Shenfield ward member Graeme Clark on the Lib Dem benches after beating Tory Stephen May at the December 6 by-election.

Mum of two Liz, who has lived in Shenfield for 25 years, is known by many for her campaigning to improve the safety of the crossing near St Mary's Primary School at Tabor's Corner.

But she said that Crossrail, parking and speeding have also proved hot topics that residents wanted to see addressed.

Liz, who lives with husband Ricky and her two sons, eight and 12, said she learnt a lot about solving problems while working as a holiday rep in Cyprus.

Liz, who will take her seat in the council chamber tomorrow, said: "First of all I just want to thank all the people who helped and supported me and put their trust in me and believed in me.

"From the start I have never said that we would be able to fix everything in Shenfield, but we have the power to listen and to try to help.

"If someone has an issue, I promise never not to turn up and never not try to deal with it. I know how frustrating issues can be for residents.

"I think the Conservatives sat in Shenfield too comfortably.

"They never thought there was ever any need to do anything for Shenfield, but when you start to ask people and spend some time with people on the street, that is when the problems came out.

She added: "The Lib Dems stuck by me when I was campaign for the Tabor crossing and so it seemed natural for me to join them to help them in their work."

TRAVELLING to Essex in a car with BBC Essex emblazoned on the side – it doesn't get any better than this.

Mark Syred, a BBC Essex radio researcher, has kindly picked me up at six in the morning to appear on the Ray Clark Show. It's as close as I'll ever get to feeling like a member of the cast from the The Only Way Is Essex. We're going to be discussing the 20th anniversary of Essex Man, inspired by an article I had written.

Inside the corridors of BBC Essex, Mark offers me coffee as Ray hosts the Breakfast Show. I'm ushered into the studio after an item with Professor King talking about Lord Hutton, ready to broach a subject of equal gravitas. Ray has many a question about whether the public are learning to love Essex Man. The station has a radio car travelling through Woodham Ferrers looking for Essex Men, filing in excited soundbites about a house with a Doberman and finding the odd builder called Steve who says people in Essex "get off their bum" and work.

Ray Clark says he lives in Burnham-on-Crouch and we get on to Ian Dury and so he finds a live version of Billericay Dickie for the airwaves.

After my stint fellow DJ Dave Monk comes in and laughs, "The council hate all that Essex man stuff. It has been trying for years to get rid of the image. Are we as culturally barren as Simon Heffer wrote? I've always been quite proud of that whole Essex thing, I think it's a slight compliment."

Monk then confesses that he fears Essex Man might be getting a bit soft as "Mark Wright has been known to moisturise", though he likes my suggestion that Wright should cover Billericay Dickie as a Christmas single.

After the radio slot there's an interview with Gareth George from BBC Look East. I tell him: "Whatever the origins of Essex Man, he's no longer seen as nasty, brutish and short. He's cuddlier today, no longer exclusively right wing, and a lot funnier."

By 10am the media scrum is over and I'm on the streets of Chelmsford.

Chelmsford was awarded city status by the Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee in March 2012. Tellingly, the Queen dumped Reading in favour of her beloved Essex. The Sun called it "TOCIE: (The Only City In Essex)" and claimed it was famous for "stilettos and Bacardi Breezers". My pal Nigel Morris, a Brentwood man, commented on the news: "Seventy-four years after the football club was christened Chelmsford City and 98 years after it got a cathedral."

The Romans knew it was a proper city too. Chelmsford was originally called Caesaromagus, meaning "Caesar's market place" (where maybe he sold used chariots?) and has the distinction of being the only town ever to be named after Caesar.

In 2006 Simon Heffer, author of the original Essex Man feature, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph of the "increasingly charmless aspect of the towns of inland Essex, like Chelmsford, whose heart was ripped out by developers in the early 1970s".

That's a little unfair, although walking from the station to the town centre you do realise why Chelmsford was designated a "clone town" a few years ago. All the usual chains are present, plus two shopping malls and a bar called Decadence. Decadence, in Chelmsford?

My wife recently asked a Chelmsfordian where to go to find something exciting to do and the self-deprecating local replied, "Anywhere but Chelmsford!"

Although thankfully there's still the cathedral, the Shire Hall, the county cricket ground and a little touch of Essex directness in shops like Nosh and a hairdressers entitled Blow, which must make for some interesting phone bookings.

Moulsham Street shows more individuality and has some old-style Essex weather-boarded buildings.

There's a vintage shop with a small Goth section and even an Adult Discount Store. Although this being Essex even here there's a madly entrepreneurial air — an ad for the same sex shop in Chelmsford's The Edge fanzine offers "Over 2,000 dvds exchange old for new". You'd think Essex porn watchers might want to keep their viewing furtive, but no, they're doing busy deals on used razzle films as if it's the Record and Tape Exchange in Notting Hill.

Way down Moulsham Street, past the college and suburban homes, the museum finally emerges in Oaklands Park. It's sited in the rather grand Victorian Oaklands house.

There's plenty on radio pioneers Marconi and a video of ball-bearings on a production line. Yes, the UK's first mass production of ball-bearings was at the Hoffmann factory in Chelmsford.

The city has a Roman temple too, only this being Essex it's under the roundabout.

In the museum's music section there's a picture of Keith Flint of the Prodigy, who grew up in Braintree, struggling to start a fire in his county town. While much is made of the Chelmsford Punk Festival in 1977. There's a picture of eight rather middle-class looking Chelmsford punks and a description of a wonderfully Spinal Tap-esque festival.

It rained all day, the crowds didn't turn up, the scaffolders started to dismantle the stage before the concert was over and The Damned refused to play. An inadvertent case of anarchy in the commuter belt.

But what's this? Apart from former Rod Stewart's missus Penny Lancaster and West Ham goalkeeper Mervyn Day, Chelmsford's most famous son is the dress-wearing artist Grayson Perry. A very unlikely Essex Man indeed.

In the museum's pottery room the cross-dressing sculptor has a vase on display entitled Chelmsford Sissies. On top of his vase is an upturned car crashing into a Chelmsford sign and on the side is a picture of a Barrett-style home and parked car.

It's proper art, and it's proper Essex, with motors and new houses on a bleeding great vase. The rest of the vase is covered in pictures of bearded men wearing skirts.

This is a reference to a mythical transvestite festival invented by Perry, based on a group of Civil War gentlemen who were forced to wear women's clothing and parade through Chelmsford. The adolescent Grayson must have spent days thinking up that one in his bedroom.

Cross-dressing in the commuter belt? That bar name was right — there really is Decadence in Chelmsford.

Shortly after my visit, Grayson is in the press declaring he gets most of his ideas "sitting in front of the telly with a beer, watching X Factor… I have a pot called Boring Cool People. It's decorated with pictures of the sort of people who go to contemporary art galleries."

Is he really that different to the Chelmsford Sissies he grew up with?

You can take the cross-dressing out of Essex, but you can't take Essex out of cross-dressers like Perry.

As Phill Jupitus tells me of Mr Perry, Chelmsford's finest son and daughter: "He's a man in a dress with a bear, but you hear him talking and it's like you've bumped into a bloke in the pub."

Caesar and Sissies – all can be found by the banks of the Chelmer.

ALLOWING patients to find a good and safe consultant with ease – that is the aim of a new group founded by a Brentwood-based clinician.

Gynaecologist Mr Rajiv Varma, 55, has joined forces with 11 other long-serving medics to form Prime Hospital Consultants, an organisation which seeks to improve patient choice in healthcare.

The group is also working to improve the relationship between consultants and GPs, which, according to Mr Varma, has broken down over the past decade or more.

Mr Varma, of Hillwood Grove, Hutton, told the Gazette: "The main aim of Prime Hospital Consultants is for patients to be able to find a good and safe consultant more easily than they can at the moment.

"With this comes the idea of the group having better relationships with local GPs because we have lost that in the NHS in the last 10 or 15 years.

"It used to be that if a patient needed to see a consultant then their GP would say this is a good guy and you should go and see him.

"That was the normal standard for years and years, but that has virtually disappeared."

The group, which was founded in September, comprises experienced clinicians covering several disciplines, namely general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, cardiology, gynaecology, urology, dermatology and gastroenterology.

But not just anyone can join, as Mr Varma explained.

"We picked, firstly, like-minded people and secondly, people who are well respected in their hospitals and who have worked for a significant period of time," said Mr Varma, who has been a consultant since 1992.

"There is also what we call the family test.

"This is a group of doctors who I would be happy to take any member of my family to see.

"You can't have a better test than that."

Mr Varma, who works at the Nuffield Health Hospital in Shenfield Road, Brentwood, and the Spire Hartswood Hospital in Eagle Way, Warley, believes there is a lack of information available to patients at present and says Prime Hospital Consultants will operate with as much transparency as possible.

He said: "We are going make our outcome data available on our website that will allow patients to see the results of all of our operations.

"This is information which, at the moment, you can't get from the NHS. Healthcare needs to be transparent.

"You can't just say good things and if things haven't gone to plan then that has got to be part of it."

At present, the group only does private work, although the aim is to take on NHS work once relationships with GPs are restored.

In a bid to achieve this, the consultants have, among other things, been meeting GPs in Brentwood and organising free teaching sessions for them.

Mr Varma, a father-of-three, concluded: "This whole enterprise is about patient choice and we believe that patients should be involved in decision making about their treatment throughout their entire journey."

For information, call 01277 508 897 or visit www.primehospitalconsultants.com